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Study: primary care most often the source of preventive care

Physician Practice Advisor, September 3, 2004

Americans made an estimated 890 million doctor visits in 2002, a majority of them to primary care specialists, according to the latest annual report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which looks at the medical care provided in physicians' offices.

During 2002, six out of every 10 doctor visits (an estimated 560 million visits) were to primary care specialists, such as general practitioners, family physicians, internists, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists.

Although other medical and surgical specialists can (and do) provide primary care and preventive services, nine out of 10 preventive care visits are to primary care specialists. Preventive care includes services such as general medical exams, prenatal exams, or pap tests. Primary care specialists are also more likely to conduct diagnostic and screening services than surgical or medical specialists.

The report can be found at www.cdc.gov.

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